Bath and North East Somerset Green Party is joining Greenpeace Bath to organise a march through the city centre on Saturday 3rd December to highlight the high levels of air pollution and the lack of action to address it.
The #LetBathBreathe campaign was initially launched by the Green Party in Bath with Deputy Leader Amelia Womack during the Abbey Ward By-election with a petition calling for:
- Extended city centre pedestrianisation to remove non-essential traffic near schools;
- Improvements to make the bus fleet less polluting;
- City centre congestion charging for non-resident and non-essential vehicle journeys;
- Scheduled goods deliveries to early morning and evening off peak times;
- Resources to encourage journeys made by foot, bicycle and public transport.
The march will feature protesters wearing face masks to “raise awareness of the disgusting air we have to breathe”.
Air pollution kills around 40,000 people a year and has been highlighted as a problem by the residents of Bath, particularly in the city centre.
Eleanor Field, Parliamentary Candidate for the Green Party in Bath said: “The pollution in Bath is nothing short of a public health crisis. The lack of genuine, immediate, and decisive action is scandalous.
“While our councils predictably prioritize cars, they condemn our children and older residents to asthma, lung diseases, and we can all, according to EU studies, expect our lives cut short by an astonishing eight months!
“We’re calling on all residents to stand and be heard; we won’t allow our council and the Conservative Government to continue putting cars before residents’ health.”
You can find more information about the event on Facebook here.
